


The one where Bruce is an asshole

by ParadoxInsanity



Series: Titans 2018 [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Nightwing (Comics), Titans (TV 2018)
Genre: Aunt Diana, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Bruce Wayne is a Bad Parent, Bullet wound, Dick Grayson Gets a Hug, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick Grayson Tries to Be a Good Older Sibling, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Earth-2625, Hurt Dick Grayson, Jason is a smol bean, Stab Wound, They love their little acrobat baby, Uncle Clark Kent, and has absolutely, bruce acts like he doesn't, but he does, but he's not, but just saying, i claimed it already, no self preservation skills, no you can't have it, nothing graphic, reckless Dick Grayson, this is my earth, who wants to meet his big brother
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:21:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27103384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParadoxInsanity/pseuds/ParadoxInsanity
Summary: So.When Dick and Bru- Batman had had one of the bigger falling outs, Batman had removed Dick's access to his properties in a fit of rage and pettiness.It didn't hurt anyone.Until it did.⋊THIS FANFICTION IS HOSTED ON ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN AS WELL AS WATTPAD, WHERE YOU CAN READ IT FOR FREE. IF YOU’RE READING THIS ON A DIFFERENT WEBSITE, IT WAS POSTED THERE WITHOUT THE AUTHOR’S CONSENT⋉
Relationships: Diana (Wonder Woman) & Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Amy Rohrbach, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Clark Kent, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd
Series: Titans 2018 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1972216
Comments: 9
Kudos: 114





	The one where Bruce is an asshole

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Still Called Son](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26301445) by [sElkieNight60](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sElkieNight60/pseuds/sElkieNight60). 



> You know what drawing of a horse which has the front half done beautifully and scrawled the hind quarters? Yeah that's what happened here im sorry

Bruce was going to bed, he truly was.

He’d already sent Jason up to bed and was just wrapping up.

Until the fateful beep sounded, almost startling him.

It wasn’t much, just someone at a Chicago safe house. Not ever a break-in.

Just like, someone entered a wrong code or a biometric scan was incorrect.

It was probably just a Leaguer who had been off world and needed a place to crash.

Some of the Lanterns, Diana and Hawkman _were_ supposed to be returning that night anyways.

He pulled up the security camera footage, to see if he needed to let them in. It could simply be a couple of burglars, no match for his security.

He chuckled at the idea of a bunch of low level thieves breaking in.

Then he bolted upright in his chair.

“Dick?” He couldn’t keep the word from slipping out of his mouth.

His ex- ward truly was standing there, keying in an old pass code that he had once helped set up and now was out dated and incorrect.

Predictably, the beeper beeped again.

Bruce nearly chuckled sardonically again. _Sure, Dick, of all people would have access to the safe houses._

He started to switch of the batcom- _Goddammit-_ his _computer_ when something caught his eye.

So Bruce looked closer at his _ex- ward_.

One arm wrapped around his torso, the other desperately hanging onto the wall and keying in another, common code.

Damn it.

His entire body language _screamed_ hopelessness and fatigue ( **i accidentally wrote fatifue and that’s my new favourite word.** ) and when Dick’s hand came up to wipe away the trickle of sweat from the side of his face, Bruce could see it was covered in blood.

oh.

Oh.

 _OH_.

 _Dick was_ *censored* _injured and Bruce was here_ *redacted* _crowing about Dick not having access anymore?!_

Now that Bruce was looking, he could see the bloody handprints on the scanners and keypad.

Dick slumped against the wall, the image of someone giving up, so still that it was unnatural.

“Dick…” Was all Bruce could say.

He stood there, knowing he should get into the batplan- the plane and go to Chicago.

Not one of his muscles obeyed.

“Damn you, Bruce.” Dick began to laugh, kind of hysterical and crazy sounding.

“Don’t even know why I came here. Bet you thought it was a Leaguer, didn’t you? People who trust you with their lives and you trust them with yours.”

Dick seemed to find that funny. “Whoops, sorry I forgot. The Batman doesn’t trust anyone, does he?”

“No, he just sits and broods all day, making contingency plans for if anyone he knows ever go rogue. Never trust anyone, just *bleeping* fight it all out. No emotions, no affection, partners but not really.”

Dick pushed off the wall and Bruce could see clearly the handle of the blade sticking out of his _ex- ward_. Each word coming out of his mouth was flaying Bruce alive.

“You know it’s messed up when the person the papers call your arch nemesis gives more attention to you than your own father figure.”

“Oops, I forgot again, didn’t I? I’m not even your son. So if you decide to kick me out, easy peasy.”

 _Hell, Dick had found out about Jason._

Bruce meant to tell him, he truly did. Just- just the media got to him first.

Feeble excuses.

“Yeah, I heard about the new kid. From a newspaper. Didn’t even have the guts to tell me that there was someone else running around calling himself my dead mom’s nickname for me, huh?”

“Gotham praises Batman for being fearless enough to go after her crazies. They couldn’t be further from the truth. You’re a *bleeping* coward, Bruce. Always hiding from your emotions and feelings and putting on that stupid cowl and punching until you don’t have to deal with it.”

“I bet you thought you were protecting me when you fired me.”

Dick started laughing again, sounding as psycho **as yours truly**.

“You’ve already screwed yourself up for the rest of your life and and you screwed me up and you’re going to do the same with the new kid. You’re going to beat him up, or say something you can’t take back or you’ll do something irreversible. And I will be right there. Right there, Bruce, and I _will_ say that _I told you so_.”

“As much fun as it has been talking to you, I don’t particularly want to die today. Not because of some lowlifes who were hired by one of the two gazillion people I’ve pissed off.”

He started to walk off and Bruce scrambled to allow access to the safe house, screaming internally.

_No no no no no no Dick, no it’s not like that, come in and I’ll call. I’ll try to fix things. I’ll set up your biometrics again, you can come back, you can operate from the Batca- the Cave- no the Batcave again._

_I don’t want to lose you, Dick_.

“Aunt Diana? Uncle Clark? I don’t know if you can help right now, but I could really use a hand.”

Bruce was sure he hadn’t ever typed this fast in his life.

 _Ah, finally_.

The door to the safe house slid open with a soft hiss.

“Always said that I was the light to your darkness, B. I don’t know if your darkness put the light out, or if I simply wasn’t enough to chase away your shadows.”

 _You were always enough Dickie. Please, no, Dick please, I’m sorry. We can make it better, I’ll change, Dick I’m sorry_.

Diana and Clark had both appeared, they would burn down the planet for their ’nephew’.

“Dick, what’s wrong?” Clark’s voice held more concern, compassion and affection than Bruce had shown Dick in years.

“He’s hurt!” Dick immediately picked him up as gently as possible as he nodded in confirmation. “Your place or mine?”

“I’m pretty sure that Batman has a place somewhere here.”

Dick groaned from Diana’s arms, “Nooooo.”

Diana looked at Soup Dude™, “No.”

“My place.”

“Hang in there, Birdie. Aunt Di is here.”

The door hissed shut again.

* * *

**Let's be vibing, I know shit’s getting dark**

**I do that too much**

**Last year, in my English final, I wrote about an entire city being nuked**

**Before that was an Olympic athlete that committed suicide**

**This time was a rocket launch so that’s better**

**The main character _was_ going to have a dead parent for tax pur- I mean trauma. Trauma purposes but I ultimately omitted that**

**It’s almost like I can’t help it**

**My teacher thinks I hate all the characters I make up and write about because I kill them, torture them, make them lose their loved ones etc etc**

**So**

**Lets take a little break**

**Put on “Everything is awesome”**

**And dance**

**Before continuing wiTH ZE ANGST**

**Done? Let’s get back to the story.**

**… I forgot what I was going to say**

***three days later, while I’m totally studying B.St.***

**Ah yes. That is what I was saying.**

* * *

The next morning, Bruce called Diana. Because heaven forbid he actually try and contact Dick directly.

“How is he?”

“Wha- who is this?”

“How is Dick?”

“Bruce.” Venom was dripping from Diana’s voice. “Why does he not have access to your safe houses?”

“I gave him access as fast as I could. He still decided to go with you.”

“Apparently not fast enough!” Diana screamed. “How dare you revoke access in the first place? Did you know that he refused to take any medication for the pain? He wanted to dig out the bullets in his back on his own!”

Bruce breathed into the phone, “He can handle himself.”

Diana didn’t seem to hear him, still screaming, “He could have _died_ last night and you _wouldn’t even have known_ , Bruce. You selfish, ungrateful, conceited, absolute piece of shit! If I even see you within a kilometre until Richard is completely healed, I swear upon the Styx I will kill you, Bruce. If not, I will expose everything about the Batman and there will be _nothing_ , _absolutely nothing_ you can do to stop me. He refused to let me even contact you, instead trying to dig out a bullet, on his own, from the middle of his back, no painkillers and laughing like he was going crazy because it was so. Dam. Funny. For him. To see that you cut him off after firing him. And then REPLACED him.”

He could have _died_ simply because Bruce was a petty asshole and thought revoking access would be a suitable way to amerce him.

If it wasn’t for Diana and Clark, Dick could have died and Bruce _wouldn’t even have known_.

“Diana, psst.” Clark’s sharp whisper cut into Diana’s diatribe.

She whipped her head around to look at him.”What?”

“Dick is tensing up. He’s worried, nervous.”

“Oh, baby.” She slid into the sofa seat and cradled Dick’s head in her lap, “I’m here, you can relax. Sleep, Birdie.”

Dick nodded, eyes falling shut, and snuggled into the warmth his Aunt Di provided.

“Cold.”

“Clark, get Dick another blanket please, I’ll deal with the Bat.”

“You’re an abusive asshole who cannot admit to his mistakes or acknowledge feelings. Your parents, as well as Alfred, would be ashamed of you.”

< _click_ >

Bruce was left reeling within the confines of Thomas Wayne’s study.

* * *

**Wait should I put in events of the night before?**

**Ughhh too much work**

**Nah**

**Maybe later**

* * *

Time passed, and even Jason picked up on Bruce’s nervousness and agitation.

“What’s on your mind, B? You’ve been distracted all week.”

Bruce’s heart throbbed at the nickname ( **? Does it count?** ) that Dick used to call him.

Until, of course, when he stopped calling him.

“I’m worried about Dick.”

“Why? He’s like, the first Robin! He can handle himself!”

Bruce had to smile at Jason’s enthusiasm.

“I guess he can.”

The smile fell from Jason’s face.”What happened?”

“Dick’s injured.”

“Oh. Why are we here then? Let’s go! We need to make sure he’s okay!”

“He doesn’t want to see me.”

“Why not?”

“I… I, uhh.” He couldn’t bring himself to lie to the kid, “I revoked access to my safe houses. And he was hurt. And he couldn’t get in. And I was sitting here and crowing about it while he was bleeding out. And he could have died and I would never even have known about it.”

“What have you done to fix it, Bruce? Don’t tell me you left it at that. Where even is he?!”

“Diana and Clark are with him.”

“So he’s okay?”

“…”

“Get up, let’s go! We need to see if he’s okay!”

“Jay…”

His excitement faltered. “Yeah?”

“He didn’t know about you.”

“And?”

“He found out from the papers.”

“Come on, B, I can’t keep prompting answers out of you.”

“He’s upset that I didn’t tell him about you in person.”

Jason paused. “You sayin’ he doesn’t want to meet me? Or you don’t want us to meet?”

“I’m saying that Diana threatened me so I would stay away from him.”

“Until?”

Bruce’s face lit up. Dick might have healed by now! A smile spread across his face, “Until he heals.”

“Do you think he’s fine yet?”

* * *

“Grayson, there’s someone here to see you.”

“My aunt?”

“The hot one? No.”

“She _will_ murder you if you call her that.”

“Okay. I will not call her that. Please don’t tell her I did.”

“My uncle, then?”

“Not the one that usually comes. Another guy. Old enough to be your uncle, I guess.”

“Uhh well thanks anyway.”

“Hey Lotta, I have a visitor?”

“Hey Dick! Yeah, he’s there by the elevator.”

“Who is it?”

Charlotte shrugged. “He didn’t give a name. He seems to know you well, though.”

That was weird. If it wasn’t Clark, then who was it?

His question was answered soon enough.

“Yeahhhh no I’m not doing this. I don’t have enough coffee in my system and way too much blood inside me. Amy, where are we stationed today?” Dick immediately turned around.

Amy furrowed her brow. What.

“What’s the matter, Grayson?”

“That’s my ex guardian and I cannot deal with this today. Cool? Let’s go.”

Too late, he saw him. “Dick!” Too cheery for Bruce. It’s Brucie Wayne who came today. Nope nope nope.

“Amy, please, I’m begging you. I’ll do your paperwork for a month.”

“Okay, rookie. Let’s go.”

The door was so close. Just a little further. Sooo close.

Then a bundle of bright red fabric and excitement barrelled into him, nearly causing him to fall.

Nearly. He’s a Grayson, he don’t be falling, bro.

“Oof.”

“Hey um. Sorry?”

“You are…?”

“Jason! Jason Todd.” He stuck out his hand, “Nice to meet you!”

“You’re the kid Bruce took in.”

Jason nearly nodded his head off in excitement.

“Yeah, nice meeting you and all that but I’m busy and I have to leave like, 15 minutes ago. Uh, bye.”

“Dick! It’s been too long! How are you?”

Dick tried to escape.

But Jason happened. He grabbed Dick’s hand, “Don’t go!”

Dick roughly tugged his hand away. “I’ll get the car, Detective.”

“ _Please!_ ”

Dam. Dick nearly felt bad.

Damnit.

He slipped a card into Jason’s pocket, “For your eyes _only_ ,” he murmured forcefully.

“Dick?” Bruce really thought he had a chance, a right to talk to him anymore.

If Bruce even got to see him ever again, it would be a privilege he didn’t deserve, or the world was ending.

Again.

* * *

**What am I even doing? This was _not_ where the story was supposed to go.**

**Eh let’s go with the flow**

* * *

“Hey Aunt Di.” He kicked the door shut.

“Dickie! You’re back!!”

He went to hug her, “Yep.”

“How are you? Everything healing fine, I hope.”

“Yeahhh.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Bruce came by. With the kid.”

She squeezed him tight, “Do I need to kill Bruce?”

“No no. I’m just…conflicted. Kid seems sweet, wanted to talk.” He hesitated, “I gave him my number.”

“Jason _is_ a sweet child. Very eager to learn. Does it bother you?”

“Bruce gave him the name my mother used to call me. What do you expect?”

“It was Bruce?”

“I guess.”

“Maybe you should find out who you must blame before assigning it to Jason?”

Dick laughed, “You always give the best advice.”

“Better than Alfred?”

“Welllll, I don't have to decrypt everything.”

————————————————

It took Jason a few days before he managed to gather up the courage to text Dick.

_Hi Dick! It’s Jason. You gave me your number that day at the station?_

_Sorry it took me so long to text you._

_How are you?_

Dick smiled when he saw the text and then pocketed his phone. He would text back as soon as he clocked out.

**Author's Note:**

> Nearly three thousand words because I wanted to, thank you very much
> 
> that concludes my writing for this book from the past month 
> 
> dw I have like 2 more in the works but they're literally two sentences in
> 
> so much angst
> 
> I've written a chap for Nicole Wayne too but that needs a few chapters in between 
> 
> don't worry ao3, I'll get around to posting Nicole... Wayne? there soon. Probably.
> 
> anywayyyyyy 
> 
> toodles
> 
> THEY'RE SHOOTING I'M SO HAPPY


End file.
